Press Release

Washington, DC (April 3, 2009) - Gene L. Dodaro, Acting Comptroller General of the United States and head of the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), today announced the appointment of 13 members to the Health Information Technology Policy Committee, a new advisory body established by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The committee will make recommendations on creating a policy framework for the development and adoption of a nationwide health information technology infrastructure, including standards for the exchange of patient medical information.

"Electronic sharing of information has the potential to improve the quality of health care in the United States. Many excellent candidates applied to serve on this committee, and the men and women named today reflect an impressive breadth of professional expertise and experience," Dodaro said.

The Act, also known as the stimulus legislation, directed the Comptroller General to appoint 13 members to the committee for terms of three years, although the members first appointed by the Comptroller General have staggered terms. An additional seven members will be appointed by the Secretary of Health and Human Services, the Majority and Minority leaders of the Senate, and the Speaker and Minority leader of the House of Representatives. The President can appoint other members as representatives of relevant federal agencies.

The 13 members the Acting Comptroller General has appointed across 10 different categories are:

For more information about the Health Information Technology Policy Committee, contact the Office of Public Affairs at the Department of Health and Human Services, at (202) 690-6343. All other calls should be directed to GAO's Office of Public Affairs at (202) 512-4800.

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